Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Part 1.
“She’s looking at me,” he thought. “Why is she looking at me? Rose!” he bellowed across the aisle before he turned to the woman in question. “Ah, lovely day isn’t it? I suppose you’re wondering why I’m sniffing these bananas, well ... I, it’s a bit of a redundant question really. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, best to make sure they’re ripe, not that my superior biology couldn’t break down the overwhelming starch content present in green bananas.” He picked a banana that looked a bit sickly and thrust it towards the woman as if to prove his point.
The elderly woman stepped closer to him.
“Rose!” he squealed yet again, watching for her blonde locks to show against the sea of other shoppers.
The young woman appeared in front of him, puffing as though she’d just come from the opposite side of the store.
“Doctor,” she panted, her arm resting upon his shoulder as she caught her breath, “You alright? What happened?”
He placed a chaste kiss to her temple before his lips brushed the shell of her ear, “She was looking at me Rose, that old lady there, see, she’s staring at us right now.”
Rose noticed the spritely old lady scowling at them from the corner of the banana stand and decided that now was as good a time as any to snog the Doctor. She bunched the lapels of his suit jacket into her hands and pulled his head down until it was level with hers. His lips descended as she crushed them with a powerful display of desire. The Doctor opened his mouth to deepen the kiss and her tongue delighted in dancing over his. She felt him smile against her lips.
The Doctor opened his eyes in the hope that such a public display of affection had ruffled the old girl’s feathers, but she was still there and watching him intently. He was startled when she winked at him. Was she flirting with him? She was most definitely flirting with him. He grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her towards him as he tried to back away from the display, but before he even had the chance to take another step sideways, the old lady intercepted him.
The woman leaned forward, placing a fragile hand to his cheek. His body went rigid, and the breath left his body. Why hadn’t he noticed it before now? He’d been feeling strange all morning. She giggled and leant forward to whisper into his ear. “How could I possibly forget the bananas?” The Doctor gaped.
The woman simply winked once more before taking her bananas and walking away.
Rose was not quite sure what to make of the situation, but whatever it was; it had been significant enough to leave the Doctor speechless. The feisty old lady had muttered some obscenity that had obviously left him flabbergasted and she couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. They always came out of the woodwork when you least expected them, and she trampled down the sliver of jealousy with a muffled giggle.
“Doctor, what’s the matter?”
The Doctor’s grip on her hand tightened and he stared into her amber eyes. Rose was afraid to move. He was acting strange again; he’d been doing it all morning, ever since they’d passed that hospital on their way back from the Estate. Maybe she’d tell him just to go and investigate.
“Doctor?” she tried again, this time catching his attention and he blinked.
“Rose.” He held her against his chest, his arms tight around her middle. She placed her head upon his chest, the familiar double beat lulling her into a sense of calm. As long as she was there in his arms, they would be ok.
“Want to tell me what all that was about?” she questioned him with the tilt of her head.
He chuckled under his breath and mumbled, “Just some dirty old lady wanting to get her hands on me, nothing for you to be jealous of.”
“It’s that hospital; you’re still worried about it, aren’t you?”
“Hmm, what? Oh right, yes, I wouldn’t mind taking a peek on our way back to the TARDIS.”
She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “The things I do for you, Smith.”
“Oh well, if I’m Mr. Smith, then that makes you Mrs. Smith which makes us ... Oh I don’t know, Mr. And Mrs. Smith?”
“You can thee bio damp me any time you like, Doctor.”
The Doctor backed her against the banana display and watched as the bright yellow fruit toppled to a halt at his feet. He pressed his mouth to her ear and growled as his hands harnessed her against the sheer magnetism of his rigid body.
“I’ll do so much more that than if you like, I’ll take you right here, Rose Tyler. Just give me a reason.”
“Dirty old man,” she chastised, though she’d never freely admit that the sensation of lust was readily pooling in her belly and if he didn’t move right now, they’d likely be extricated for indecent behaviour.
“So, what do you say, Mrs. Smith? Shall we visit Royal Hope Hospital? I’ll buy you one of those lovely little get well balloons full of helium.”
“But I’m not sick, why would I want a big balloon that says ‘Get Well Soon’?”
“Ah, well, how do you fancy acting like a sick person? You could ... no, never mind. We’ll just pop in and take a look.”
She frowned, unsure of what was really going through his mind. She took his hand and ran her thumb over his knuckles.
“You sure you’re alright?”
“Rose, you know me, always alright.” He gave her his biggest smile and if she thought that something was genuinely upsetting him, she didn’t let on. He prattled on about the boiling point of Helium as they left the store and she sighed, resigned to the lecture he was inadvertently providing. How did he manage to make inert monatomic gas sound so appealing?
________
“Ouch!” Rose yelped and pulled her hand away from the cold metal railing as if she’d been burnt. “I keep getting zapped,” she informed him as they continued to follow the long, sterile corridor. “Why isn’t it happening to you?” she asked the Doctor numbly.
He shrugged and took her thumb in his hand to examine the tender flesh. He pressed his lips to the baby pink skin, the cool contrast a welcome distraction.
“Better?”
“Much, thank you.” He missed the blush that crept into her features, more invested, instead, in his investigation.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Rose asked again. The Doctor turned to her, sonic screwdriver gripped tightly in the palm of his hand.
“Rose, have you not been listening to a word I’ve said? These electronic pulses have to be coming from somewhere; I just need to find the source.”
“So it’s all about electricity yeah? Is that why I keep getting zapped?”
He stopped then and turned to look at her, his brow furrowed. “Rose, what did they teach you at school? Electromagnetic interactions produce a charge which is typically conducted by some sort of matter, oh usually copper or aluminium. The charged particles, well, they move a lot.”
He watched as her face contorted, her eyes squeezed shut and she tried desperately to make some sort of sense out of what he’d just told her. He was unsure of what to say when she opened her eyes and peered up at him. He needn’t have worried though; she broke the silence between them.
“Ok, so don’t touch the metal railing while there’s electricity around every corner.”
He beamed proudly. Gosh she was sexy when she did that, took his technical talk and made it simple. “Did I ever tell you about the time I met Benjamin Franklin?” He took her hand as the continued down the hall.
She smiled. “No, but I’m pretty sure you’re about to tell me.”
“First person ever to prove that lightning is a form of static electricity ...” He was cut off by the distressed sound of Rose’s voice as she stood by the closest window.
“Doctor, the last time I looked, rain fell down, from the sky, not the other way around.”
“Ah, now rain, that’s a different matter all together. Liquid precipitation ...”
“No, Doctor, look.” She pulled him over to stand beside her, pressed herself into his side and waited for him to explain why the rain was falling up. Could the rain even do that?
The Doctor pulled Rose against his chest and dropped to the lino beneath their feet as the building began to shake. Doors and windows rattled and he blanketed her body with his own just in case the frame work imploded. He’d heal faster than she would. Worst case scenario, he’d just regenerate.
A trolley to their left toppled, scattering medical supplies alongside them. Rose whimpered and felt his grip tighten. The contact was comforting, so she closed her eyes and waited, hoping that the disturbance would leave them relatively unharmed.
The Doctor waited for calm before he pulled himself and Rose into a sitting position.
“Are you alright?” He patted her down, just to satisfy his own curiosity.
“’m fine, Doctor. What was that?”
“I think, Rose Tyler, we’ve taken a little trip. He got to his feet, pulling her up with him. He stood, full height, and stuck his nose over the window ledge. The scene that met his eyes made them truly widen.
“What!”
A female voice echoed through the corridor, “We’ll get this sorted, everybody back to bed.”
“Doctor, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“Rose, we’re on the moon.”
“We’re on the moon?” she wondered. “Then how are we breathing? These windows can’t be air tight.”
“Come on.” He took her hand and started at a run.
“Where are we going? Doctor, please, slow down.”
He turned to her and smirked. “Oh come on, Rose. Where’s your sense of adventure? There must be a balcony on this floor, a veranda perhaps?”
They turned off into an alcove at the end of the corridor. Rose took a deep breath as together they parted the double glass doors.
“Air,” he smiled. “We’ve got air.”
Rose took in the sight before her, the Earth shimmering blue and green before her eyes. Fluffy white clouds were suspended in time like a frothy foam. It was beautiful. She felt the Doctors arms encase her, his nose nuzzled her neck from behind and she couldn’t hide the smile that formed.
“Beautiful, isn’t it.”
“Mmm.” She snuggled back into his arms.
“We could go back inside, but I think it’s nicer out here, standing in the Earth light.”
“What do you think happened?”
“Ah well, probably alien ... maybe.” He scratched the back of his neck and she squeezed his hand.
“I wish mum could see this. She’s always wanted to go to the moon.”
The Doctor tucked her head under his chin and sighed. “I wish Jackie was here, I know that you miss her. I’m sorry you lost her, Rose.” He sighed again. “You know that I’m thankful, to have you here, with me.” He’d known that he’d never been good with emotions, but he managed to find the words for her. “I promise you, Rose, we’ll find a way.”
“Come on then, Mister Smith, let’s solve this mystery.”
“That’s Doctor Smith to you.”
Rose giggled and thumped his arm. “Always thinking one step ahead, aren’t you.”
“Better get started then.” She watched as he pulled a pebble from his coat pocket and flicked it over the side of the balcony. The small stone bounced before coming back to them.
“It’s some kind of barrier,” Rose surmised.
“And this is the only air we’ve got. The force field is sealing it in.”
Rose chewed on her bottom lip, dropping her head to the side, she asked her next question.
“Doctor, what happens when we run out of air?”
She felt his body stiffen behind her, “These people will suffer, and I think, we’re about to find out exactly why.”
The Doctor led Rose back into the hospital, back into the commotion surrounding them. He swallowed thickly. Rose watched as the new arrivals made themselves known, stamping authority as they familiarised themselves with their surroundings. She turned to the Doctor, an expression of concern on her face.
“Doctor, what are they? They’re like rhino’s.”
The Doctor knew he was in trouble; he kept his eyes focused on the scene before him as he slowly backed Rose the corner of the room before answering.
“Judoon.”
________
Rose placed a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles.
“Oi, imagine what you look like to him. All, human and ... pink.”
She nudged him in the side, “Didn’t hear you complaining last night. Oh, Rose, yes, Rose.”
He rolled his eyes and smiled as the pair crouched behind a row of potted plants.
“Ohh, look Rose,” he pointed, “a little shop. They had to come right now, just when I’ve found the little shop.”
“Later, Doctor. I need you to focus.”
“Right, sorry. It all makes sense now. The plasma coils, electrical pulses, the moon, its neutral territory, Rose. This could be bad news for me; they’re looking for non-human species.”
They walked along corridors and halls searching for a department computer.
“Records room, this looks as good as any.”
“What are we looking for?” she asked, curious as ever.
“Something that looks and acts human, but isn’t. Could be a shape changer?” He continued to type, the screwdriver aimed at the screen. “Unusual symptoms, oh that’s clever. Salt deficiency, Rose, that’s it!”
“Ah, Doctor, there’s a creepy guy in biker gear headed towards us, I think now might be a good time to run.”
The Doctor squeezed Roses hand before pulling her along behind him. He peered around the corner, watching dutifully before giving the all-clear to enter the room.
“X-ray room, Rose. Get behind the plate glass shield and do as I say. This is the only chance we have. I don’t particularly want you to be lunch today.”
Rose watched the Door swing open and the leather clad creature stalk towards the Doctor.
“Now, Rose. The big yellow button, push it now, Rose.”
Rose slapped the button as hard as she could and watched as the machine whirred into life. She suddenly realised that the Doctor was on the wrong side of the dividing wall and screamed for him to make himself scarce. There was no time to react and she barely had time to shield her eyes before the room echoed around her and the drone fell to the ground.
“There,” the Doctor called to Rose, “all done. Now, if I concentrate, I can expel the radiation.”
Rose peeked out from her hidey hole and frowned. “Doctor, that could have killed you, what did you do?”
“Nah, its only radiation; I just increased the dose, killed him where he stood. We used to play with this stuff in the nursery; it’s been a while but ...”
Rose watched as he jumped about like he had Trixtidine moth’s in his pants, and rather a lot. Still, she admired the way he jiggled.
“Leg, foot, shoe, left shoe. Ow, out, out, out, ah, ah, ah” he squawked.
Rose watched as he balanced on one leg to stoop down and remove the Converse from his left foot only to dispose of it in the bin beside him.
“Hey, that’s a brand new shoe; you can’t just throw it away!”
He smiled at her remark, “You’re right, I look daft with just one shoe.” He hopped onto his left foot and proceeded to remove the other Converse.
“Look, Rose.” He wiggled his toes to add to the affect. “Barefoot on the moon.”
She shook her head and pointed to the form on the floor at their feet. “What is that thing?”
“It’s a slab, they’re called slabs.” He nudged the slab with his big toe. “Someone has one hell of a fetish. Finnegan, it was working for her.” He stopped to fawn over the loss of his favourite sonic, pouting.
“My sonic screwdriver, it’s gone. I loved my sonic screwdriver, Rose.”
“It’s not like you haven’t got a whole heap more back on the TARDIS, which, may I remind you is back on Earth without us.”
“Earth,” the Doctor clicked his fingers, “that’s it. You, Rose Tyler, are a genius. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.”
He stepped towards Rose and crushed his lips to hers, knocking her off her feet and back onto the table next to them. Her hands went to the nape of his neck and she twisted his locks around her fingers as he cradled her face.
The Doctor panted, breaking the kiss. “That’s why she’s here, Rose. She needs blood, to be able to mimic human DNA. It’s genius. Come on, Rose. We have to find her.”
The Doctor waggled his fingers and Rose took his hand. “That hand still gives me the creeps you know, it’s not natural.” He laughed, and guided her out of the room.
“I’m not human, Time Lord, remember, I can change like the wind. Welllll, perhaps not the wind, but I think I’ve proved that I can certainly change.”
They didn’t notice the Judoon until it was too late.
“Ah, hello big fella, we’ll just um ... “
“Non-human,” the creature barked.
“Rose, I think now’s the perfect time for a nice brisk jog, what do you say?”
The Judoon watched as Rose and the Doctor disappeared around the corner. A laser ray was promptly aimed at them, but they were too far out of range.
Rose huffed as she leaned against the corridor railing, “We just came from here, Doctor. We’re going around in circles.”
“They won’t come back here, we should be right for now.”
The duo came to a door embellished with a shiny silver plaque. ‘B Stoker, Chief of medicine’
“Ah, Rose, I think we’ve found Mister Stoker.” The Doctor crouched down onto the balls of his feet to examine the body. Rose watched from the doorway, surprised that he wasn’t already pacing the room. She was sure that he was onto something.
“She’s drained him dry, every last drop.” His eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. “A plasmavore, I haven’t had to deal with one of those in, oh, a few hundred years, at least.”
Rose covered her mouth and gasped at the sight of the man and the Doctor stood, moving to place his hand on her arm.
“You alright?”
Rose nodded, unable to find the words that had escaped her vocabulary. The Doctor took her into his arms.
“We’ll find her, Rose. I promise, we’ll get this sorted. Sooner or later. Come on, let’s go.”
The Doctor knew the Judoon were advancing, he didn’t have much time according to his sensitive ears. If they caught him, they’d execute him and possibly the rest of the hospital. Footsteps echoed through the hall and Rose was beginning to panic, he knew he had to keep her safe.
“ Doctor?”
The Doctor heard Rose cry out, but was far too distracted by the second woman standing in front of him.
“Doctor, it’s that woman from Tesco, what is she doing here? Did you tell her we were coming here?” Rose was puzzled by the sudden appearance of the woman; surely she hadn’t followed them all this way. Did she need a doctor?
The old woman smiled at the pair, her eyes sparkling. The Doctor knew he had to get Rose out of the hall and stash her somewhere safe for now, but what could he do? They were cornered.
“Go,” said the woman. “Take her. I’ll hold them off; give you the time that you need.” The Doctor swallowed and stepped forward, but the woman shook her head and stepped back like his touch was forbidden.
“Just keep her safe.”
“I ... I,” he stuttered.
The old woman nodded. She knew.
The Judoon appeared at the top of the hall and the Doctor took Rose’s hand in his before his legs carried them across the floor to the nearest janitor’s closet. He opened the door and ordered Rose inside. “Stay here, stay down and Rose, I love you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips before heading off to the MRI room.
“Like hell I’m staying here.” Rose opened the door a crack to make sure the coast was clear before setting off to find her Doctor.